Appeals court denies request to reinstate Trump’s travel ban

A US federal appeals court early Sunday rejected a request by the Department of Justice to immediately reinstate President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries.    The Trump administration had appealed a temporary order restraining the ban nationwide, saying a federal judge in Seattle overreached by “second-guessing” the president on a matter of national security. For now, the travel ban suspension remains in place. Both the State and Homeland Security Departments said Saturday they were resuming normal practices concerning travelers from the affected countries.   The appeals court’s denial of an immediate stay means the legal fight over the ban will continue for days at least. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco asked challengers of the ban to respond by early Monday, and for the Justice Department to file a counter-response by the evening. Judge William Canby, Jr. in Phoenix and Judge Michelle Friedland in San Francisco did not give a reason for their denial in a two-paragraph ruling.   However, they told the states of Washington and Minnesota, which had filed the original suit against Trump’s travel ban, to provide documents detailing their opposition to the government’s appeal by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The Department of Justice was given a deadline of 3 p.m. Monday to supply more documents supporting its position. Trump on Saturday denounced the judgment lifting the travel ban, taking an unusual jab at an independent branch of the US government as he vowed to bring back the restrictions.    Trump’s personal attack on US District Judge James Robart went too far for some who said he was undermining an institution designed to check the power of the White House and Congress.  As the ban lifted, refugees and thousands of travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who had been stopped in their tracks last weekend by Trump’s executive order scrambled to get flights to quickly enter the US.    The Justice Department on Saturday filed a formal notice that it intends to appeal the ruling made by Robart in Seattle late on Friday. The judge appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush questioned the constitutionality of Trump’s order.    “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” Trump said on Twitter early on Saturday.    The US State Department and Department of Homeland Security said they were complying with Robart’s order and many visitors were expected to start arriving on Sunday, while the government said it expects to begin admitting refugees again on Monday.   Iraqi Fuad Sharef, his wife and three children spent two years obtaining US visas. They had packed up to move to America last week, but were turned back to Iraq after a failed attempt to board a US-bound flight from Cairo. On Sunday, the family checked in for a Turkish Airlines flight to New York from Istanbul. “Yeah, we are very excited. We are very happy,” Sharef told Reuters TV. “Finally, we have been cleared. We are allowed to enter the United States.”

Source : Arab News